Rebuilding Trust
by wasdf
Summary: Tony is ordered to attend counseling with Ziva. Set between Reunion and Inside Man. When the second chapter is written there will be Tiva. This is my first time, be gentle.
1. The Psychologist

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

This was written at 3 in the morning. I'll write the second chapter if anybody wants it.

Not beta'd, if anybody wants fix this chapter just e-mail me and I'll love you forever.

* * *

Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was sound asleep when his cell phone rang. After fumbling for it on his bedside table for a few moments, he checked the caller id – Ziva.

"Any particular reason you decided to call so early, Ziva?" He dryly asks.

"Director Vance has decided that I need to attend one last session with my psychologist before I am re-instated."

"... That it?"

"No...Because of the...Um....Problems we have had recently, Director Vance believes it to be...prudent for you to attend this session with me." Tony is unable to form words for a moment. "Gibbs has signed off on it so we do not need to come into NCIS until 1100 today"

"This day just keeps getting better doesn't it?" He asks rhetorically.

After jotting down the address Tony flopped back into bed trying not to think about the day ahead of him.

* * *

Tony shifted uneasily his seat in the room. He never liked shrinks. Yes, he had some issues, but everybody did. He figured that the only reason this was seen as so important was that it was interfering with work.

As Ziva entered the waiting room she motioned for Tony to follow. Rounding a corner she turned on him. "Look, we both know that we can deal with this on our own, right?"

"Definitely sweet cheeks."

Ziva scowled for a moment. "I dislike the fact that we have to discuss this with a doctor, but I believe that the questions he asks may have some merit."

"I don't follow."

"Despite the fact that we both hate shrivels"

"Shrinks. Ziva"

Glaring daggers at Tony, she continued, "We both hate shrinks, then, I think that the questions he asks may be useful in repairing our friendship. However, I am not comfortable with telling a complete stranger all my secrets, and neither are you." It was not a question. "So I believe that we should answer truthfully to anything we are comfortable with telling him, and for those things we are not, we lie and make a small physical gesture to tell the other that."

"I'm fine with that."

"After this session, on the way back to work, we will stop in the conference room, and we must tell the truth about any of the answers we lied about."

Tony winced, "I really am going to regret this, but, fine."

Walking into the room, Tony felt strangely confident, knowing that he wouldn't really have to tell the shrink anything.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Richards, feel free to call me Sandy or Sandra. I already know Ziva, and if Leon was telling the truth, you must be Special Agent DiNozzo." Tony nodded. "As I understand it, Leon asked you to attend this session because he believes that the two of you have trust issues?"

"That is correct." Ziva replied.

"Well, as I have been reminded more than a few times by both Leon and Agent Gibbs, this is merely a one-time session. So we need to cut right to the heart of the matter. Ziva, as I understand it, you stated a when you left NCIS that you were couldn't trust your partner anymore. Why was this?"

"At the time I was involved with a man who was another Mossad officer, who had been stateside to complete a mission. Tony came to my apartment with concerns about the man, Michael, and his intentions. Unfortunately, when Tony arrived at my home to discuss this with me, I was attending to other matters and the only one in my apartment was Michael. A struggle ensued, and Tony was forced to kill Michael in self-defence."

"Okay, in our previous sessions I got the impression that you trusted Tony again. What lead to this?"

"It is fine details are classified, but suffice it to say that Tony had well proved that he only has my best interests at heart."

After a few moments of taking notes on her clipboard, Sandy turned to Tony. "Agent DiNozzo."

"Tony, please."

"Tony, Ziva has shared her side of the story, would you like to tell us yours?"

"I'll give it a shot; however I don't think you will understand." He warned

"And why is that?"

"The relationship between partners is far different to that of two mere friends or co-workers. Having to rely on one person day in, day out, to watches your back, in a job as dangerous as this, gives a much deeper relationship than any of those"

Jotting down a few notes, Sandy motioned for him to continue. "I'll try to keep up."

"Through the course of an investigation we discovered that Michael was responsible for the death of a naval officer on US soil. Later he was linked to the 'disappearance' of some terrorists who were under surveillance. Our boss, Agent Gibbs told him to leave the country. As I was still suspicious about what Michael had planned, I asked our lab technician, Abby, to search plane records for his whereabouts. His flight was one to Tel Aviv with a stopover in D.C. He didn't show up for the plane to Tel Aviv. Concerned about her safety I went to Ziva's apartment to warn her that I believed that he had gone rogue. When I arrived he was there, and during the ensuing struggle I was forced into a situation where it was kill or be killed."

"How did this lead to Ziva returning to Israel?"

"Well, after Michael was pronounced dead, Eli David, Director of Mossad demanded an investigation into his death. It was after this investigation, as our plane was leaving the airstrip in Tel Aviv, that our Boss informed us that Ziva had elected to stay there."

"I don't understand how the trust has been regained then..."

"Almost three months after this, what could be considered a rescue was conducted." Ziva answered cryptically.

"So you were forced to work together to rescue hostages then...?"

"That is a _very_ loose interpretation of what actually occurred."

Sandy made a dissatisfied noise, and scribbled something on her notepad.

"There are some questions that I want to ask you to try and help you better understand the other's perspective. Is that alright?"

Tony and Ziva nodded simultaneously.

"Alright, Tony, what would you say keeps you from leaving the team you are currently a part of?"

"The team I am working with, well, was working with up until around the incident with Michael, I have complete confidence in. I actually have been offered a different position at NCIS before, but I didn't want to take it. Despite what this," he gestured to the room around him, "May lead you to believe, I completely trust _all_ members of my team."

"Including Ziva?"

"With my life."

"Ziva, what would you say you want most in life?"

Before answering, Ziva took a second to scratch the side of her nose. "I do not know, had you asked me a month ago, or a year ago, I would easily have been able to give you answers, but I'm not even sure anymore."

"Tony?" Sandy asked.

Rubbing his eyes with his palms, Tony replied, "That is a very vague question, does it have to be plausible? Cause if not I would go for world peace."

"It has to be plausible, but it does not have to be tangible."

"Okay then," He ran his hand through his hair, "To have our team back in the way it was."

"Understandable."

"And, I know it's not Ziva's fault."

"Yours?"

At this he began to scratch his foot, subtly using the sign for lie, "No."

"Alright then."

"Tony, why do you get out of bed in the morning, what makes you keep going?"

Still scratching his foot, "I guess...The same reason that I became a cop in the first place...To put away scumbags and get justice for victims."

The questions continued for a while, however for the rest neither Tony nor Ziva felt the need to lie.


	2. The Elevator

My insomia is getting better. I was only up till 2 am writing this ;)

* * *

They were in Gibbs 'office', standing across from each other. It was only 1015. The session had been shorter than either of them had expected. Ziva casually reached out and flicked the emergency stop. There was an awkward silence.

"Do you want to go first or should I?" Ziva asked.

"I have more to explain than you, so you go first." Tony said.

"The question was what I wanted in life, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, all my life, I've been seen as an asset; a soldier, an assassin, a spy. My own father only acknowledges me as a tool to be used against our enemies. In Mossad, feelings are seen as weaknesses. If you grow attached to any of your team in any way other you are transferred. If you hesitate just once when dealing with a terrorist, you are dead. When I arrived at NCIS, things were totally different. Everyone I have met here at NCIS, with the possible exception of Vance, has cared about me. Even if in the beginning, you resented me for my connection to Ari, you still cared. What I want most in my life is to become a permanent part of that."

"Ziva, don't you understand? Even if you are called back to Mossad, you would still be able to call us, or e-mail us, or send us a postcard."

"Did I call over the summer?" Ziva sarcastically remarked.

"Point taken."

"And the only way to become a part of that is to resign from Mossad, and become an NCIS agent."

"Would your father let you do that?"

"When he realizes that I am alive he will either fire or disown me."

"He would really go that far?"

"He doesn't care for me as a daughter; if he had Mossad would have at least attempted to conduct a search. He only sees me as a Mossad Officer now. He believes I have 'gone soft', and am no longer useful to him."

"My father was a bastard too, if it helps."

Ziva tilted her head and looked questioningly at him.

"See, the story I tell everyone about being disowned at twelve is only half true."

"Being sent to boarding school is not being disowned, Tony."

"My father was an alcoholic, and he was an angry drunk. Throughout my childhood, he would hit me, giving me bruises and the occasional broken bone. However, when I was twelve, I accidently knocked over a particularly valuable bottle of wine. At the time he had gone through two or three of these bottles. He was apoplectic. In his rage, he brained me with one of the empty bottles."

Ziva looked shocked, not only at how badly one man was able to treat his own child, but also at how Tony had managed to keep this inside for so long.

"Now, apparently, I was out for about a day and a half. In this time, my dad had sobered up, and taken me to hospital. Now you may be thinking, 'Great at least the guy tried to help his son'. Wrong. Do you know how awesome it is waking up strapped to a hospital bed? 'Cause, as it turns out, my dear old Dad did take me to hospital, but to cover his own ass he told the staff I had come at him with a knife and he was trying to defend himself. About an hour after I came to, he stormed in the door and screamed at me that he never wanted to see me again. After that he paid for a spot at a boarding school and I haven't actually seen him since."

"Oh god Tony, I'm so sorry. I cannot believe that someone would do something like that to you."

"I've made my peace with it." Tony grimaced and then changed the topic. "So I guess it's my turn then, huh?"

"Yes"

"Which questions did I lie about?"

"Umm, what you wanted most in life, whose fault the situation with Michael was and the reason you got out of bed in the morning. Also, could you explain one other thing you said?"

"Sure."

"You said you couldn't live without me."

"Okay. I'm gonna answer these in a funny order, so stay with me. With the situation with Michael, I believe I am totally at fault. See, we were operating fine for months before that. I assume you two got together whilst I was enjoying my first class cabin as Agent Afloat."

Ziva nodded.

"Now when we all got back together, we were fine for months while you were seeing him. Apart from me being a nosy bugger, it was as if it were back to the good old days, before Jeanne. Then, when he comes to visit his girlfriend, which he has every right to do, I get suspicious. I end up killing him. I am the only one who is in the wrong..."

"No, Tony, if anyone is to blame it is my father. He played me, he played us all. He ordered Michael to form a relationship with me, so that when he eliminated the terror cell, I could draw suspicion away from him and Mossad."

Tony did not look entirely convinced, but did not say more about the matter. "It's kinda funny," he smirked, "Two of the questions she asked have the same answer. The reason I get up in the morning and the thing I want most in my life, is you."

* * *

Please don't hit me. Hit the review button instead. I promise that it will not only be more satisfying but it will also motivate me into getting my arse in gear and writing faster.


	3. The Interruptions

Disclaimer and all that jazz.

I really am surprised at how many reviews I got for the first chapters in such a short space of time.

* * *

Silence filled the air.

Ziva was at a loss for words. All of a sudden, the elevator gave a massive jolt and they began moving upwards again. They turned away from each other, and as the doors opened they were met by the steely gaze of Gibbs.

"You two have any idea how long this elevator's been stopped for?" Barked Gibbs, with a murderous look on his face.

Tony and Ziva both glanced at their watches. 1105.

"Boss, we're only five..."

"I don't care DiNozzo"

Both Tony and Ziva awkwardly returned to their desks. Just as they were about to sit down, a yell came from over by the elevator.

"Hey, you coming or what? We've got a case."

Silently, they both rose, grabbing their gear, and jogged over to the elevator.

-

They were back in the bullpen. Tony sighed. It hadn't been a particularly difficult case, but a frustrating one. The same idiot from a few months before had tried to sneak _another_ koala onto his sub. 'Well,' DiNozzo thought, 'Have to at least give him credit for trying.'

DiNozzo had finished his paperwork. Instead of the usual comments, he walked out of the bullpen silently. As the elevator reached the ground floor, he was met with Gibbs, back from his coffee run.

"Going up, boss?" Tony asked.

Tony was about to walk out of the elevator when Gibbs held him back.

"We need to talk."

The lift rose for a few seconds before Gibbs reached out and flicked the emergency stop.

"What did you say to Ziva?"

"I don't know what you..."

"Cut the crap, DiNozzo. This elevator was stopped for at least half an hour. What did you talk about?"

"The psychologist said that to be able to trust each other we needed to be honest with each other..."

A look of recognition crossed Gibbs face. "DiNozzo, get this sorted. I don't care how. However this turns out, it stays out of the office. Ziva told me that she was staying at this address," he wrote down something on a piece of paper, "Go there and talk to her."

-

Ziva was sitting on the couch in the hotel room when her cell rang. It was Tony.

"What Tony?"

"Which room are you staying in?" He asked.

"107."

"I'll be right up."

A few minutes later there was a knock on her door.

"Hey Ziva."

"Hello Tony, why are you here?"

"I'm here to try and sort 'us' out."

Without any further words he walked into the room.

"Wow, why would Mossad get you a room like this if they thought you were dead?"

"I am paying for this out of my own pouch."

"Pocket, Ziva, paying out of your own pocket."

"That is not important."

"Yeah, I guess it's not."

Tony settled on one end of the couch, with Ziva on the other.

After a moment of silence, Ziva blurted "Did you mean what you said?"

"What are you talking about?" Tony stalled.

"In the elevator."

There was a pause.

"Yeah," once again, silence filled the air, "Ziva, I'm crazy about you. I would do anything to protect you. When I said I couldn't live without you, I meant it. Before Africa, I was happy to simply be there, be just a friend, so long as it meant I could be in your life. You and I both know what would happen if we had broken rule 12."

After a moment, Ziva asked, "What changed?"

"When we heard the Damocles went down, with no survivors, there are no words to describe it. Ask Gibbs; ask McGee, I was basically a zombie. Like I said before, I couldn't live without you. It seemed impossible for you to have died. And, as clichéd as it sounds, it made me realise that life is just too short."

Suddenly, Ziva reached across the gap between them and kissed him.

"I think I like that." DiNozzo remarked.

"What about rule 12?"

"I'm not 100% sure but I think Gibbs gave me permission to break it. He told me to sort it out, and that, 'However it turns out to keep it out of the office.'"

"What does that mean for us then, Tony?"

"Pardon?"

"Well, am I just another of the girls you meet up with for sex, or am I something more?"

"God Ziva, you are more. There is no way that I could ever be in a relationship with you just for sex. Do you remember when you asked me about soul mates?"

"Yes..."

"I was this close," Tony held his finger and thumb millimetres apart, "To caving and ruining our friendship by telling you that I think you are my soul mate."

Ziva leaned over and began to kiss Tony again. Pushing him further back along the couch she straddled him.

"You remember when I told you that I like to be on top, yes?" She softly asked.

It was at that point that Tony's phone began to ring. He was sorely tempted to throw it out the window, until he saw the caller id.

"Boss?"

"You need to come back. There has been a complication in the case."

"On my way Boss."

"Also, tell Ziva to come in as well."

Half formed defences were on the tip of Tony's tongue, but Gibbs interrupted, "I know she's there as well," at this point, Tony put his cell on loudspeaker, "And I'm ok with it so long as it doesn't interrupt with work." With that Gibbs hung up.

* * *

Sorry the ending isn't better, but that was the only way I could think of doing it.

This is the last chapter for Rebuilding Trust, this story was all about answering the questions, however I will be writing more in this storyline soon.


	4. The Epilogue

I put this up just to kind of tie this and my next idea together.

* * *

Tony jolted as his alarm began to blare. Tony definitely knew that he hadn't gone out last night, but he could definitely feel a weight on the other side of his bed. It suddenly occurred to him that he could simply open his eyes and look at the person. Trying to get his eyes to focus, he recognised Ziva lying opposite him. Then the events of the previous day hit him.

"You know Tony; I can feel you staring at me."

Abashed, Tony looked away.

"Last night was ridiculous," Ziva began to rant, "I mean, for starters, who tries to smuggle a Koala on a sub, twice? And then hides a dingo in a cupboard as well?"

"People are stupid," DiNozzo remarks as he lifts himself out of bed, "Coffee?"

"Yes thanks."

Tony walks into the kitchen. After a few moments, Ziva springs lithely up from the bed and follows him. "Ziva, last night, I had an excellent idea."

"Yes?" She prompted.

"Well, thanks to me you don't have an apartment, and you're living in a hotel, which must be burning trough some cash so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to move in with me?"

"Of course Tony."

"Awesome. After out shifts end do you want to go to your hotel room and pick up some stuff?"

"Sure."

"New subject. What do you want for breakfast?"

After a delicious, if hastily cooked, breakfast, Ziva got up and headed for the door. "Sorry to bog you like this but I need to get a fresh uniform. See you at work."

Tony knew that Ziva had gotten another idiom disastrously wrong, but he didn't care. For whatever reason, his gut was telling him that this relationship was gonna work.

* * *

Yeah, corny ending.

Reviews help, heaps. If anyone has anything they want to see in this storyline, or if you liked it/hated it/don't get something please review.

I'm ending Rebuilding Trust here. However, there will be a sequel soon. My title as of now is 'Adjustments'.


End file.
